WWE Payback 2015: Re-Booking Full Card from PPV
Payback was a solid enough show from the WWE, but as with most pay-per-view shows the company hosts, there's always some things that could be done better.
Several low points throughout the course of the night in particular need addressing, whilst there's always some things that could have been executed better even in the standout matches.
Whether it's the execution of the finish or the hype surrounding the actual chemistry in the match, re-booking aspects of the Payback card is certainly doable.
Let's take a look at the best ways to re-book the full card and examine what could have been done slightly better.
The Bella Twins vs. Naomi and Tamina Snuka
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Perhaps the best booking for this particular match would have been to change the entire make-up of it.
The Divas Championship hasn't got anywhere near as much prestige or hype as it should have, so why was the belt not even defended at Payback?
What we should have seen here was Naomi getting another shot at Nikki Bella one-on-one. Prior to Paige returning on Raw, she'd been on a nice run, and perhaps giving her the belt ahead of Paige's return would have been a shrewd move.
It could have been a controversial win, perhaps with the help of Tamina Snuka. That would have ramped up the heat on Naomi and set up a great feud with Paige when she returned.
The New Day vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro
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To be perfectly honest, this match for the WWE Tag Team Championships was one of the standout contests of the night.
But to have three falls in just over 12 minutes made the whole thing feel rushed, especially given how exciting and enjoyable the contest was.
All six participants, including Xavier Woods and Natalya, played their part in a great match. So why not extend the length of the match to increase the momentum for the tag division, which has been growing a lot recently.
You could also tinker with the finish as opposed to the overall result. The ending where Woods snuck in the ring didn't feel completely right; no real issue with Woods being involved, just not in that matter.
Had he caused the distraction to allow one of Big E or Kofi Kingston to get the win, that might have sat a little more easy.
Again though, it's important to emphasise that in this instance, there's not a lot you'd change.
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler
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Another great match on the Payback card featured Dolph Ziggler squaring off against Sheamus once again.
These two men have had some nice chemistry in and out of the ring in recent months, and hopes were high that they'd deliver on pay-per-view. Thankfully, they did.
The Celtic Warrior really is working strongly at the moment, and a brutal match had more than its fair share of hard-hitting moments.
That really drew the fans in and got them invested in the match, but there's one particular aspect of the match that could be nixed if you're re-booking it.
Sure, having Ziggler rub his backside in Sheamus' face might have been a fun moment, but it detracted away from the intensity and physicality of the match, which was absorbing.
It was a nod to their previous encounter, but that awful stipulation and the memories from it should have been left in the past. It wasn't needed here.
King Barrett vs. Neville
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The main contender for biggest disappointment of the night has to be King Barrett vs. Neville.
It was a match that for one reason or another fans just couldn't get into. Add to that the most peculiar finish of the night, and it was a real letdown.
Naturally, the biggest element of the contest that needs re-booking is the finish. Sure, a win for Neville is what it will say in the record books, but where was the danger in him getting another clean victory over King Barrett?
The way Neville is being booked is very impressive, but this result Monday night failed to do much for either man. Given how the rivalry picked up again on Raw, where was the need for Barrett to just decide he didn't need to wrestle Neville?
You could have even booked Barrett as the winner here with a somewhat controversial victory. It wouldn't have impacted Neville too much; he's bounced back from losses already during his time on the main roster.
Ryback vs. Bray Wyatt
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If King Barrett vs. Neville was the letdown of the evening, the surprise of the night may have been the quality of Bray Wyatt's match against Ryback.
There was a pretty great spot where Wyatt hurled himself off the apron onto Ryback and gave him what looked to be a legitimate and nasty injury to his ribs.
The only thing you could argue is that the tension and hype didn't really pick up until the very end. Both men teased finishers before Wyatt exposed the steel turnbuckle.
Aside from that, it's difficult to re-book this one too much. The right guy went over in the match, and with a somewhat tainted victory, Ryback and Bray Wyatt could go at it again somewhere down the line.
John Cena vs. Rusev
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If we all had our way, the most obvious thing that would be re-booked in John Cena's match against Rusev would be the end result.
Rusev is in an interesting and important stage of his career now, and a third consecutive loss on pay-per-view does him no good at all.
But given that Cena was a guarantee to win, let's look at how we could have re-booked the contest itself.
Much like Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler, this was a brutal and physical match. That played into both Rusev and Cena's hands in terms of the speed and excitement of the match.
But could Lana have played a bigger role throughout the ins and outs of the match itself? Sure, she was the one who quit for Rusev, but some more interaction between her and Rusev would have helped to fuel the tension between them both.
Have Lana try to stop Cena from using the repertoire of weapons and objects he did, and basically get in both his and Rusev's way. It would have been an interesting subplot.
Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose
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Perhaps the biggest talking point from the main event at Payback (aside from Seth Rollins' victory) was the mini-reunion of The Shield we saw midway through the match.
Could this have been booked better? In truth, no. It was a nice twist, followed by another swerve when Reigns and Ambrose turned on their former brother.
So what could have been done better in a re-booked version of this match? It's an argument that may cause plenty of debate, but having Rollins get the job done slightly cleaner may have been a shrewd move.
There naturally needed to be some interference from all those present at ringside, but when push came to shove, did Rollins have too much help?
His controversial wins sure do make him a monster heel, but maybe it won't hurt for him to score a clean win once in a while.
Have Reigns and Ambrose beat the hell out of each other, then let Rollins come in with J&J Security or Kane to grab the pinfall.
Much like other matches on the card though, they're just minor criticisms over what was a great contest.
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